Invasive Species

Two bills designed to keep invasive species out of Oregon opened to positive reviews during a public hearing today at the state capitol.

One of the bills, H.B. 2220, creates border check stations where boats and trailers will be inspected for invaders such as quagga and zebra mussels. The other, House Bill 2020, creates an emergency spending fund to deal with invasive species outbreaks.

According to Tom Wolf of Trout Unlimited, the bills were supported by all the witnesses at the hearing before the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Communities Committee.

Evan Manvel with the Oregon League of Conservation Voters writes on their blog that lawmakers discussed ways to raise the money for the emergency fund, including fees for non-motorized boats such as canoes and kayaks.

The committee took no action, but is waiting for amendments to be written. No new sessions have been scheduled.

It was a scary reminder of how easy it would be for quagga mussels to get a foothold in Northwest waters.

In February of 2008, thousands of the invasive mussels were found clinging to a boat that was being transported from Lake Mead, Nevada to Vancouver, B.C. The boat owners were stopped along I-5 near Ridgefield, WA and their dangerous stowaways were put to death by a mixture of hot water and bleach.

Quagga mussels found on a propeller in Lake Mead, NV. Repairs for this kind of damage can cost hundreds. Photo courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

In some ways the system to prevent a quagga invasion worked. According to press accounts, the mussels were spotted at a check point in California. Officials in that state notified Oregon and Washington, so when the boat was stopped it’s because we knew it was coming.

But the case also made Oregon officials even more aware of how powerless they are to stop quagga and zebra mussels from entering the state.

So on Tuesday, they’re going before legislators to ask for some help.

House Bill 2220 creates a series of check stations at all major entry points in Oregon. Anyone bringing in a boat would have to stop and be inspected for invasive species. If some are found, the boats and trailers would be cleaned before the trip could be resumed.

Tom Wolf of Trout Unlimited thinks that’s a small price to pay considering how much damage quagga mussels could do if they enter Oregon. “All fishermen,” he says, “need to be concerned about what they’re bringing into the state.”

Like many invasive species, Quaggas are prolific breeders. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, a few mussels can produce millions of offspring in a year. The two-inch long creatures form giant mats, taking over lakes, streams and rivers, crowding out native plants and insects. Wolf says they devastate the food base, essentially starving trout, salmon and other freshwater species.

A mussel infestation of Bonneville and other dams would raise electricity rates. Photo Courtesy BPA.

In the Great Lakes, mussels take over water intake pipes driving up the costs of water systems and utilities. The costs of controlling the pests is estimated from $3.2 billion to $6.5 million over a ten year period.

In Northwest rivers, a mussel invasion could increase the costs of electricity by reducing the flow of water into hydropower dams. A 2005 study by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission says the start up costs of installing mussel control systems on the dams of the Columbia River would be $23 million

The House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Communities Committee holds a hearing on HB 2220 and other bills related to invasive species on Tuesday, March 31st starting at 8am in Hearing Room D.

They’re smart, highly adaptable, breed like crazy and very destructive. No wonder that Oregon wildlife officials are worried about the state’s small, but growing population of wild boars.

Courtesy: ODFW

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department (ODFW) estimates there are about 2,000 boars in 19 counties around the state. The biggest concentrations live in Central and Southwest counties. But without controls, they could easily live just about anywhere in Oregon, posing a threat to wildlife and agriculture.

Here’s one fact about wild boars that really caught our attention. They reproduce so quickly that 70% of them have to be hunted or trapped just to keep the numbers level. Rick Boatner, ODFW Invasive Species Coordinator, says in a good year hunters only get about 40-60% of them.

So why is ODFW trying to limit wild boar hunts? It’s introduced HB 2221 which makes it a crime to buy or sell private hunts of wild boars. Boatner says the organizers of these hunts are often part of the problem. He says many of them import wild boars from out of state and release them into Oregon, helping increase their numbers. They do that to make sure their customers have an ample supply of pigs to shoot at.

There are powerful economic incentives at work. Hunters will pay hundreds of dollars for wild boar hunts. We found a ranch near Ashwood that was advertising two-day pig hunts for $600. Even if hunt organizers try to contain the boars so they don’t get into the wild, Boatner says the swines are notorious escape artists and will probably figure a way out.

Courtesy: ODFW

Boars are a threat to Oregon’s environment and agriculture for several reasons.

Their foraging habits are destructive. By digging for roots, bulbs, tubers and insects, the boars tear up the soil. That makes it easier for invasive plants to find a foothold. They like to live near streams and rivers. The digging increases soil erosion and harms water quality for fish and other aquatic species.

Boars also eat the edible parts of Oak trees, making them competitors to bears, deer and turkeys. Wildlife officials worry they could wipe Oregon’s already threatened White Oak savannahs.

If there’s not enough plants around, boars will go after bird eggs, small mammals, and even deer fawns. They’ve been known to prey on young livestock such as lambs and kid goats.

If the wild boars become established in the Willamette Valley, ODFW says they’d be a threat to the area’s seed crop, nurseries and berry farms.

HB 2221 has its first hearing before the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Communities Committee on Tuesday, March 31st at 8am.

In the meantime, ODFW hopes that anyone who spots wild boars or damage done by them to the Oregon Invasive Species Council. The phone number is 1-866-INVADER (1-866-468-2337).

You can also submit information online:

Oregon Invasive Species Hotline